Ad Majorem Sanctissimae Trinitatis Gloriam

Great Townhall Meeting!

Last night, Father Hilton and architect Adam Hermanson chaired a great Town Hall Meeting. Adam led us through the Pre-Design Summary Document, which detailed the schedule and budget for the project. He then reviewed the project goals, including the two design principles set by the committee. Adam and Father both explained that these design principles will affect everything we do in the space.

OVERALL DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Noble Beauty

Reflecting the beauty of He who is beautiful – the beauty of God

Authenticity of materials used throughout.

Beauty that ennobles the participant. Beauty itself is noble – raising us above the level of common experience.

Harmony, Proportion, Color, Shape, Balance, and Form – in total, a Well-Ordered Space

Understanding to whom we offer our very best: to and for the Lord Himself.

Greater Verticality

Efforts should be made to increase the vertical orientation and emphasis within the liturgical space.

Church currently feels rather horizontal. Better vertical emphasis will raise our eyes to the Lord.

FIRST ORDER GOALS

Retain Current Seating Capacity – Or Expand If Possible

Provide Full Accessibility so all will feel welcome as they enter and move through the church.

Improve the Thermal Comfort Systems

Provide Proper Accommodation for Music Ministry

Increase the Interior Visibility of the Celebration of the Eucharist

SECOND ORDER GOALS

Establish a Visible and Permanent Sign of our Baptism

Improved Lighting

Visibility of the Church from the Exterior

After Adam’s presentation, Father Hilton opened the floor to questions. A score of parishioners stepped up to the microphone to share comments, concerns and questions. We discussed many different topics, including:

carpeted versus hard floors

space for the ushers

crowd control outside the confessionals

options for pews and kneelers

sanctuary furnishing

saints and angels

what to do about the cry room.

Many people commented on the need to increase handicapped access, which dove-tailed nicely with one of the committee’s first order goals. We also discussed the problems and opportunities connected with the overflow space. Father Hilton did guarantee that we would not change to a ‘church in the round’ arrangement. Father asked if he could keep the avocado green in the confessionals, but the feedback wasn’t pretty.

For me, the surprise of the evening was the discussion about restoring bells to the church. Before the meeting, a few commenters had mentioned the old bell system, but I didn’t know the history of bells at Holy Trinity. It was good for the committee to hear a request for church bells from so many people. That is a great example of why we had the meeting.

We’ll have the electronic version of the Pre-Design Summary Document posted here as soon as possible. I took four pages of notes, which I must transcribe for the committee, but I’ll share them here too.

Again — Thanks to all who came to our meeting, and to Kayla and the others who provided the hospitality.

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11 Responses

Great meeting. Thank you. I think Father Hilton and the committee made everyone feel very comfortable with sharing their thoughts. They were all good listeners.

The most pleasant part of the meeting for me was meeting the Architect (Adam) and seeing that he loves the Church and understands what is important in Catholic worship. That really put me at ease.

I am happy with the direction the team is taking and with the goals as they are now.

I was pretty confused, though, by the answer Jackie gave regarding the use of the choir loft as a choir loft. She seemed to be saying that is not an option/permitted (?!) Yet choir lofts have been used for centuries and continue to be used effectively in thousands of Catholic churches in the US.

– I think we need more discussion on that.

The cry room was a pretty big theme last night, I thought.
I have a couple more comments about that.

I want to point out that the issue of access should apply to the cry-room as well. Handicapped parents and children should have access to a cry-room just like anyone else.

Also, the fact that the space there is so large means that it is used as overlow for the Overflow. I have seen this done at many Masses. That essentially deprives parents of a place to go with the children who need management and is stressful for nursing mothers who loose the privacy and quiet they need to nurse their baby.

The Place for the Pastoral Musicians§ 88 § Music is integral to the liturgy. It unifies those gathered to worship, supports the song of the congregation, highlights significant parts of the liturgical action, and helps to set the tone for each celebration.

§ 89 § It is important to recognize that the building must support the music and song of the entire worshiping assembly. In addition, “some members of the community [have] special gifts [for] leading the [assembly in] musical praise and thanksgiving.” The skills and talents of these pastoral musicians, choirs, and instrumentalists are especially valued by the Church. Because the roles of the choirs and cantors are exercised within the liturgical community, the space chosen for the musicians should clearly express that they are part of the assembly of worshipers. In addition, cantors and song leaders need visual contact with the music director while they themselves are visible to the rest of the congregation. Apart from the singing of the Responsorial Psalm, which normally occurs at the ambo, the stand for the cantor or song leader is distinct from the ambo, which is reserved for the proclamation of the word of God.

§ 90 § The directives concerning music found in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and the guidance offered by Music in Catholic Worship and Liturgical Music Today can assist the parish in planning appropriate space for musicians. The placement and prayerful decorum of the choir members can help the rest of the community to focus on the liturgical action taking place at the ambo, the altar, and the chair. The ministers of music are most appropriately located in a place where they can be part of the assembly and have the ability to be heard. Occasions or physical situations may necessitate that the choir be placed in or near the sanctuary. In such circumstances, the placement of the choir should never crowd or overshadow the other ministers in the sanctuary nor should it distract from the liturgical action.

I love to hear a choir from a choir loft, like at the Air Force Academy or at our previous parish of Blessed Sacrament. However, at Blessed Sacrament we had many parishoners who wanted to be in the choir but couldn’t make it up the stairs to the loft. With our first principle of open access, can we choose to cause the same problem with this renovation?

Thanks Troy, that helps. It just sounded like the choir loft concept had been done away with altogether.

I certainly understand the issue of stairs for older members. Absolutely they should be given equal access. I hope it’s clear that I’m not saying I would like them in the loft as a form of banishment. I love our choir and was just thinking of where their talents would be most appreciated.

I, too, love the effect of a choir that is heard from the choir loft or a space at the back of the church. Not only does it heighten the sense of the sacred, it does not distract from what should be the main focus – the Sacrifice at the Altar. When the choir is near the sanctuary, it does become a distraction – a performance – that is disjointed from the Mass instead of a beautiful, integral part of it. It would help the next time we need hymnals if we could find one that hasn’t been Protestantized.

I attended the very informative meeting last night, and was impressed with the work that’s been done so far! I’m grateful that parishioners have this opportunity to provide their input to the process.

I was most impressed with the long-term view that is providing the context for this effort. Another 50 years… And I began thinking about the past 50 years in the history of the Church, and considered the changes that were made less than 40 years ago to most Catholic churches as a result of the introduction of the Novus Ordo mass – removal of altar rails, re-orientation of the altar, etc. With the advent of Summorum Pontificum, has the committee considered that over the next 50 years there may be a need to accommodate the way in which the Tridentine Mass is offered so that it can be made available to parishioners who request it?

It appears many parishioners would find the use of the choir loft, or at least the moving of the choir from the front to be an necessary improvement in the celebration of the liturgy and sense of transcendence. This is one of the first order goals.

From the above document it seems clear that having the choir in front is something that should only be done out of necessity. I think we should look hard for ideas/solutions that can accomodate the choir as it should be, such as:

-adding a lift to the loft (exclusively for the use of the choir)
-creating a niche at the back that is at church level, but elevated so that sound will still travel above the people. I have seen this a some churches, though I have never heard a choir sing from one. Here’s a picture similar to what I have seen. This solution would make the choir feel more like part of the congregation.

My sister in law is a church organist and choir director, and she has told us that, as far as cantors communicating with music directors there are several options such as mirrors that can be used. I have even seen earpieces used by cantors to communicate with the choir loft.

I understand that when we have a lone cantor they need to be in front to lead the people, but the truth is that when a choir is used, the people need very little if any, direction. We tend to simply immerse ourselves in the choir’s singing.

Also, moving the organ to the back would free up a space up front that could be used for a baptismal font.

The meeting last night was so well presented and all of the comments were so interesting. I was impressed by the way the committee came to listen to the opinions of the parishioners, and it was clear they were seriously considering everyone’s ideas and suggestions. This humble attitude reveals the leadership of a truly holy pastor!

It seems clear from the Living Stones excerpt Troy quoted that the Sanctuary proper would not be the desired “default” location for a choir. I’m not a musician so I’d like to know the reasons why a choir sounds so good from a loft. Is it because they are behind the assembly? Or above? Maybe the space for a choir can be low enough for the universal access, yet slightly above the assembly and in the back as a matter of sound quality, not to slight the choir.

As for the Cry room, if we do indeed end up expanding the North side and/or converting the Overflow to a permanent part of the church, there might be an opportunity there to incorporate an enclosed Cry room that has the feel of being part of the Sanctuary.

I would like to make one comment regarding the placement of the choir. One thing to keep in mind is that the current placement of the choir allows them to receive the Eucharist, have a moment of prayer, and then move into song during the long process of distributing the Most Precious Body and Blood to the rest of the congregation. I have heard some people complain that the singing doesn’t allow them to meditate quietly, but I personally feel the singing enhances the moment.

[…] worship. We hope that, when you walk into your new church, you will feel that we have achieved our goal, because during all the planning and executing stages we had you, as well as our Lord, in […]

[…] worship. We hope that, when you walk into your new church, you will feel that we have achieved our goal, because during all the planning and executing stages we had you, as well as our Lord, in […]

Please Pray for Us

The Renovation Committee of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Westminster, Colorado has been charged with wisely applying a generous donation to the remodeling of our church building. We had hoped to complete this project by the 50th anniversary of our building's dedication in November 2009, but we are now praying for completion by early May 2010.

How to help:

+ Please pray for us

+ Send us your images of the church (pictures of baptisms and weddings)